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Briquette workers hold indefinite strike

Workers at the Latrobe Valley's briquette manufacturing plant near Morwell are on indefinite strike over a wages claim.

The company Mecrus manages the Energy Brix site and produces about 200,000 tonnes of briquettes a year for the domestic and overseas market.

The company's managing director, Barry Richards, says the workers are striking for a 30 per cent pay rise.

However, Steve Roach from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union says workers are being paid well below industry standards.

"Whoever is making these claims is either being deliberately mischievous or they're suffering some sort of mental condition," he said.

"We have never asked for an immediate 30 per cent pay rise, what we have said is that since Mecrus have been running this site we have dropped behind roughly 30 per cent, in fact they're their figures."